Step Pyramid Saqqara: Pyramid of Djoser | Egypt Tour Packages

Do you know the oldest Pyramid in the Egyptian History?

Step Pyramid Saqqara

The oldest Pyramid in the Egyptian history is ‘The Step Pyramid’ . It was built by Imhotep, the chief architect of Djoser (the third dynasty’s king) at Saqqara in the 27th century BC.

It has steps on both sides of the pyramid.

Also, before these pyramids, they were known as “mastabas”, where local people were buried.

Did You know? Generally, The Step Pyramid is also known as the Royal burial.

Saqqara is spelled differently, Saqqara, Sakkara, Saccara etc. But, it is known to be one of the most famous burial grounds of the ancient world.

Derivation of Saqqara

At that time, some Egyptian scholars believed that the name ‘Saqqara’ was taken from local Berber Tribe called Beni Saqqar and not from the funerary god ‘Sokar’ of ancient Egypt.

Brief History: Step Pyramid Saqqara

Initially, Abydos was considered as the royal burials. However, these came into the picture from the Second Dynasty.

Moreover, the last king of the second dynasty was buried in Abydos but his funeral was completed at a monument of Saqqara. The monument had a large rectangular building called Gisr el-Mudir.

Furthermore, these are some monuments from early dynasties:

tomb of king Hotepsekhemwy

tomb of king Nynetjer

Buried Pyramid, funerary complex of king Sekhemkhet

Gisr el-Mudir, funerary complex of king Khasekhemwy

Step Pyramid, funerary complex of king Djoser

However, the Kings decided to build their burials (pyramids) at different locations during the fourth dynasty. Today, these are known as the world famous Pyramids of Giza.

Did You Know?

The Pyramids of Giza are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next, during fifth and sixth dynasties, Saqqara became their new burial ground. Shockingly, Memphis was not the capital anymore. So, the kings decided not to build their burials there.

In the meantime, a New Kingdom came by and Memphis became an important military centre. Unfortunately, the high officials of Eighteenth Dynasty build tombs at Saqqara.

All of a sudden Saqqara was looted?

During the 2011 protests in Egypt, all of a sudden several tombs and pyramids were looted. Also, Saqqara including Abusir and Dahshur were damaged and looted.

Recent Excavations

In 2011, an excavation took place at Saqqara. This research uncovered about EIGHT MILLION animal mummies!

Though, these mummies included birds and a large number of dogs as well.

“I am that person who dropped her B.Tech (really!) and chose to travel, specifically travel blogging. I’m Manmeet Kaur, a crazy, fun loving and adventurous person from Delhi. I knew I had an interest in writing since I was in school. I didn’t want to be an engineer, doctor or I would say a teacher. My plans were different. I wanted to travel which I guess no one, specially girl had chosen to do in my family for a living. And like other human beings on this planet I have big dreams too. But my ultimate dream is to travel the world and share my experiences through writing and blogging.” 🙂